Piano key and action connection



Dec. 16, 1941. A. H. MORSE PIANO KEY AND ACTION CONNECTION Original Filed Feb. 15, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l v INVENTOR K FIG.4

H. MORSE PIANO KEY AND ACTION CONNECTION Dec. 16, 1941.

Original Filed Feb. 15, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R O T N E V N I Patented Dec. 16, 1941 PIANO KEY AND ACTION CONNECTION Arthur H. Morse, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to- The Baldwin Company, Cincinnati, Ohio Application February 15, 1937, Serial No. 125,771 Renewed February 20, 1939 3 Claims.

This invention relates to upright pianos and the mechanisms therefor. More particularly, the invention relates to the compact type of upright piano in which the striking and damping mechanism, conveniently called the action, is wholly or at least partly below the level of the keyboard. In this type of instrument special means must be employed for connecting the action to the keys, and this invention pertains especially to an improvement in such means.

In the manufacture of compact upright pianos it is desirable that the action and keys of the conventional upright instrument be employed; accordingly it is a primary object of this invention to provide a means for connecting the action and keys of the compact type instrument, that will not preclude the use of conventional keys and action.

Moreover, it is convenient in the manufacture and repair of an upright piano that the action, in an assembly for all the notes, be easily removable as a unit without the necessity of disturbing the keys or removing attachments thereto. Relevant to this is a second object of the invention, to provide a connecting means for the keys and action of a compact piano whereby the action may be removed, or installed, in keeping with the above convenience.

A third object of the invention is to provide a connecting means which shall allow any key of a compact upright piano to be removed or installed as easily as is done in the case of a conventional upright. v

A fourth object of the invention pertains to the provision of a connection occupying a minimum of space, particularly in a forward direction below the level of the piano keybed, so as not to disturb the appearance of the under part of the piano.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a connection that is of low cost of construction requiring a minimum number of parts; that is strong and durable; and that will be of such a nature as not to disturb the mechanism of the piano nor cause it to get out of operative regulation.

The manner in which the above objects are achieved will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art on a further reading of this specification and will be clearly shown by the following detailed description and drawings forming a part hereof, to which reference will now be made.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional elevation view of the key and action assemblies of a compact.up-

right piano showing the relative positions, for any note, of the key and action when in the unoperated position; and displaying a new and novel connecting member and parts associated therewith.

Figure 2' is a perspective view of an upright piano wippen, modified slightly on the under side so as to adapt it to this invention; and

Figure 3 is a slightly enlarged plan view of the connecting member of Figure 1, as if seen from above.

The connecting member of Figure 1 may be modified in several ways, all in keeping with the spirit of the invention, and Figure 4' shows one such modification in elevation; while Figure 5 is a slightly enlarged plan view of the member of Figure 4 as if seen from above.

Figure 6 shows another modification of the connecting member, in elevation;

Figure '7 is a view alternative with Figure 1, showing, in the operated position, a key, action and associated parts to which the invention relates, the hammer having struck the string and being arrested from motion by the back-check; and

Figure 8 is a perspective View of a rail forming part of the invention.

With detailed reference nowto Figure 1-, a piano keybed l supports a keyframe 2 on which is placed a piano key 3-, intermediately pivoted in a usual manner on a balance rail pin 4 driven into the frame 2. To the rear of these parts and at a lower level thanusual is a conventional upright piano action 5 supported on rails attached to a metal bracket 6. The bracket 6- is held to the keybed' l by a screw 1 and may be fastened additionally to other parts of the piano framework in a number of well known Ways. A usual tunedvibratorystring 8, of which there may be more than one per note, is behind the action-5, to be excited by a hammer thereof. To avoid complexity in Figure 1, the damper parts of the action, of well-known arrangement,-. have not been shown, and the front portions of the key, frame and bed have been partially omitted to permit a larger drawing. While an assembly for only one note has been shown and while in this description the term,- action, may quite frequently mean the action assembly for but one note, it is clear that there may be as many such assemblies side by side, including the parts to which this invention relates, as there are notes in the instrument. Of the bracket 6 there may be several, the usual number being four.

As the upright piano-to which this invention pertains is compact, the action is below the level of the keys at least partly, and a new and novel arrangement, shown in position in Figures 1 and 7, is employed for connecting a key to its associated action. In the arrangement a single connecting member 9, extending nearly vertically from below to above the key 3, is operatively connected, at its lower end below the key level, to the action by a movable pivot formed with a fore portion of the wippen H3; is guided, in an upper portion above the key level, in a hole I I through a rail l2 carried by the action bracket 6; and in an intermediate portion includes a forwardly extending shelf I3 by which it is impelled by the key 3. The operation is accordingly as follows: the downward motion of the front portion of the key 3 raises the rear portion and a capstan screw I4 extending from the upper surface thereof; the

shelf l3, resting on the head of the screw I4, is thus moved upward and with it the entire member 9; the upper portion of member 9 slides in the guide hole H, and the lower end moves the wippen H] by means of the above mentioned pivot. The action is thus operated to produce a piano tone, the positions of various parts at the beginning of motion being shown in Figure 1 and, at the end of motion, in Figure 7. On releasing the front of the key 3, the reverse of the above operation occurs.

It is seen that by employing this arrangement a conventional upright action and keys can be the member 9 remains in alignment, a specific means for limiting its downward displacement comprising the bridle wire 42 carried on the wippen IEI, the bridle 43 connected thereto, and

.the pivotal attachment of the member 9 to the wippen. I V

The lower portion of the connecting member 3 is formed from a round steel rod, bent into an arc and flattened in the plane of bending to provide a curved end section l5, strong against the forces which, in the use of the piano, would tend to alter its amount of curvature. The outer .end of the curved section is flattened additionally, a hole is bored therein, and a tightly fitting metal pin i6 is driven into the hole so as to project on each side of the plane of curve I5. (See particularly Fig. 3.)

The end containing pin l6 becomes the lower end of member 9 and is attached to the action wippen as follows. The horizontally disposed wippen l0, pivoted near the rear on a flange and pin ll so as to move in a vertical plane, and carrying a jack I3 in an intermediate portion, is altered slightly on the under side of a fore portion, as shown clearly in Figure 2. This alteration, made in the wippen projection l9 which usually rests on a capstan screw at the rear of a key of an upright piano, consists of a rectangular-shaped slot 23 lengthwise to the wippen and a lateral, Omega-shaped slot 2|. Slots and 2| extend upwardly in direction of depth and intersect at right angles; the walls of slot 2| are lined with soft material 22, such as piano bushing cloth. The pin 16 is inserted along and into slot 2|, a near portion of the arc section 15 oocupying a fore part of the slot 20, which slot is wide and deep enough to accommodate the section i5 freely. The remaining portion of section l5 extends, according to its curve, forwardly and downwardly; thence forwardly and upwardly; thence upwardly and somewhat forwardly in front of the wippen Iil; the rest of the member 9 continuing upwardly and somewhat forwardly in and above the space between the action 5 at the rear and the bed I, frame 2, and key 3 at the front. The inner, expanded part of the slot 2| allows free rotation of the pin l6 therein to form a pivot moving with the wippen Hi. The outer, constricted part, permitting the entrance of the pin onto the slot, is of convenience in attaching the member 9 to the action. It is so made, however, as to present a rather tight sliding fit for the pin and thus prevents an undesired disengagement of member 9, which disengagement would otherwise possibly occur in the handling of the action or on removing a key from the assembled piano. In the operation of the instrument, of course, the member 9 is kept positively in engagement by the capstan screw [4 supporting the shelf E3. The bushing cloth 22 allows resilient yielding in the constricted part of slot 2| and provides for quiet operation of the pivot. The upper portion of member 9 consists of a round straight steel rod '23, guided, above the rear portion of the key 3, in a hole II bored through the wood rail [2. Rail l2, of L-shaped cross-section, extends lengthwise of the piano keyboard, is attached to the action bracket 6 by a screw 4!, and is disposed so thatits limbs 24 and 25 are nearly horizontal and vertical. -More specifically, the nearly horizontal limb 24 extends rearwardly and somewhat upwardly, and contains, as shown especially in Figure 8, a plurality of linearly arranged holes ll, corresponding each to a note of the piano. When the rail I2 is in position, each hole ll lies substantially in the vertical plane including an associated action wippen and key, and the axis of the hole coincides with that of the nearly vertical rodlike upper portion 23 which is guided therein. The hole Ii contains a lining of soft material 26 such as piano bushing cloth to provide a quiet and free-running guide for the rod 23.

The connecting member of thisinvention may have several specific structures, all in keeping with the intention thereof. In Figures 1, 3 and 7 a connecting member 9 is shown as made from a single straight steel rod of round cross-section. The manner in which one end portion of the rod is modified to form the curved end section l5 has been described, the other end portion being left straight to provide the upper guide portion 23, as was recited. The shelf l3, whose function was explained above, is formed by an alteration of the intermediate portion of the rod, and as an aid to the'description of this alteration, it is best to assume that it be done while the rod is in the position, nearly vertical, of member 9 in Figure 1, wherein terms of direction relate to those of the piano. Moreover it is best to assume that the section i5 has been formed and is in the rearwardly extending position of Figure 1, in order to show clearly the geometric relations between the shelf l3 and section I5 (such assumptions are of course merely for description and not necessities in practice). The rod is first bent downwardly, at an intermediate point above the key 3 and in the vertical plane including section l5, to produce aforwardly extending part; Thi forwardly ex tending part is then bent backwardl-y upon itself, at: a: point about three quarters of an inch distant from the first point of bending and in a plane perpendicular to-the plane of section l (seeFigure 3), to produce a backwardly extendingr part and to provide the forwardly extending shelf 13 The backwardly extending part is then bent upwardly, at a point adjacent the first point of bending, so as to continue in the upward, slightly forward direction of the portion of the rod just below the shelf l3 and to provide the upper guide portion 23. The two rod parts forming shelf l3 may be flattened in the plane of the shelf, as shown in Figure 3, to produce a more substantial surface, and a layer of felt 21 may be cemented to the under side of the shelf to provide a quiet contact with the head of the capstan screw l4.

A second specific construction for the connecting member is shown in Figures 4 and 5. In this modification, a connecting member 28, having a lower curved end section 29 with a transverse pin at its outer end and an upper guide portion exactly like th section I5 and guide portion 23 respectively of member 9, is made also from a round steel rod, but includes a shelf 3| of a separate piece of metal. Shelf 3!, formed from a small metal sheet so as to have a flat part and a cylindrically formed part is attached to the red as shown, the cylindrical part enclosing an intermediate portion of the rod and being welded or brazed thereto; the fiat part is disposed oppositely to the curved section 29 and when the connecting member 28 is placed in the proper position, provides a forwardly extending shelf, to the under surface of which is cemented a layer of felt 32.

Another modification of the connecting member is shown in Figure 6. In this, a connecting member 33 includes a wooden rod 34 of uniform cross-section (which may be square) except for the portion near one end Whereat a projection 35 extends laterally to provide a shelf of previously described function. In this respect the projection 35 includes an under surface transverse to the rod, to which surface is glued a layer of wood 31, a layer of felt 38 being cemented to this wood layer. The layer 3"! has been added purely for strengthening purposes, is thus notched into the rod 34 as shown, and has a grain direction toward and away from the rod. (As is good practice, the grain of the rod 34 is in the direction of its length). To complete the structure 33 a hole is bored in each end of rod 34; a round straight steel rod 39 is driven into that hole nearer the projection 35 to provide an upper guide as are the portions 28 and 33 of the two previous specific structures; and into the oppositely disposed hole is driven and cemented the straight part of a steel member 48, which member has an arc section with a transverse pin at the outer end thereof. The member 43 is similar to and functions as do the sections 1 5 and 29 of the two previously described structures; as attached to the rod 34 it is disposed oppositely to the projection 35. The straight part of member is fluted to insure a tight drive fit.

The connecting member of this invention, as exemplified in the three above described specific structures, may be made strong and durable at a low cost requiring but few parts and each of the structures described is readily applicable to the practice of the invention. Moreover, each has a particular advantage. The member 9, for instance, is probably the cheapest to manufacture. The member 23, having the shelf of a separate piece of metal, is ofconvenience when applying the invention tovarious stylesof compactupright pianos wherein the level of the action below the keyboard may vary. For, bodies of one length can be provided for members such as 23 and shelves such as 3i can be attached to these bodies in various positions along their lengths. The member 33, mostly of wood, is especially applicable. where an unusually long connecting member is required that shall be-sufiiciently stiff and not of undue weight.

The connection disclosed, of simple construction and operation requiring few parts, is of such a nature as not to disturb the operative regulation of the piano mechanism. It is to be noted in this respect that the contact with the key is in keeping with the substantial contact employed in conventional upright pianos and is adjusted in the same manner by lowering or raising a capstan screw in the rear of the key, that but one movable pivot is necessary, and that the connecting member does not function as a lever. Rather the connecting member transfers the motion at the rear of the key in the same amount, direction and to the same point in the action at which it is applied in a conventional upright piano. Moreover the connection occupies small space not only in a forward direction below the piano keybed but in a forward direction above the keyboard.

The invention claimed is:

1. The combination in an upright piano of keys, an action including wippen members disposed behind and below said keys, and connecting members providing motion transmitting means between said keys and wippen members, comprising essentially vertically extending members located behind said keys and having forwardly extending heads bearing upon said keys respectively, said motion transmitting means having guides located above said keys, said motion transmitting means having pivotal connections with said wippen members respectively, each of said pivotal connections comprising a slot extending inwardly from an edge of one of said members and a transverse pin carried rigidly by the other corresponding member engaging said slot in the inner end thereof so as to be freely pivoted therein but restrained from the motion transverse to its axis, said slot having a constricted portion between its inner and outer ends, whereby said connecting members are securely connected to said wippen members but may be readily removed therefrom.

2. Mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein said slot is contained in said wippen member, extending upwardly from the ho tom edge thereof, said pin being carried by said connecting member, and wherein said connecting members have cylindrical extensions extending upwardly above said heads, said mechanism comprising further a rail-like structure having conforming holes in which said extensions are slidably confined, whereby said connecting members are slidably guided as set forth.

3. In combination in an upright piano a key bed, keys removably mounted on said key bed, a drop action including wippen members disposed behind and below said keys, and motion transmitting means between said keys and said wippen members, said motion transmitting means comprising motion transmitting members extending downwardly behind said keys, each of said members having a pivotal connection with a wippen,

a part lying above a key to receive motion therefrom, and a guide means for maintaining the relationship of the said motion transmitting member and its key, the said keys being individually removable without disturbing the relationship of the action and the motion transmitting members, and the motion transmitting members each being individually removable and engageable upon the removal of its respective key, to which end each of the motion transmitting members is provided with a releasable pivotal engagement with its respective wippen, the said drop action being so located that operative parts thereof including the jack, jack release, bridle, bridle wire, check and heel, are located behind the motion transmitting means when these latter means are in operative position, the structure aforesaid providing for the removal of said motion transmitting means without disturbing the relationship of the action parts to permit access to said action ARTHUR H. MORSE. 

